SME 309 on my GAE took it to another level.
1200GR upgrade tonearm or table?
My vinyl rig sounds so freakin’ good it should be illegal. The last item on my list is the tonearm. I’m running a Phasemation PP-500 with their top headshell. I’ve been told it works fine with the Technics tonearms but something better and heavier will make it even better. I’m thinking Glanz or Soraine.
for $3k-ish I don’t think I can upgrade the table but the arm is doable.
Thoughts?
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@grk well haha. That’s the mother of all audio questions isn’t it? Each of my upgrades has been in succession so I get to hear the progression as I continue forward. So each new addition brings continued improvements and with that, it becomes a little addictive. That said and from what I’ve read, my cartridge would benefit from a better arm, though I don’t necessarily know by how much and in what ways. |
@pinwa I’m running all Phasemation: PP-500 into a set of T-1000 SUTS then into an EA-350. All cabling for this is also Phasemation. |
@yoyoyaya is that the GR2? Or the 1300? I’ll look into it |
I would agree with the sentiment that an upgrade in your phono stage is going to be a lot more audible than purchasing a new tonearm, as there is nothing terribly wrong with the OEM tonearm on your TT. Why do you say you need a "heavier" tonearm? If that is the driving force behind your interest in a new tonearm, why not just add mass to the OEM tonearm? It's quite easy to find a heavier headshell, for example. Examples: Ortofon LH9000, Orsonic av101. Or just place a dime or a nickel on top of the OEM headshell. |
@lewm agreed also. I am running rhe Phasemation headshell which is heavier for sure. I had to put the aux weight on the arm to balance it. And everything sounds fabulous. I guess more or less I want to get the most out of the cartridge. |
@noromance yes sir. I got the EA-350 a couple months before the external SUTS (the EA-350 has the T-320 SUTS built in) and the T-1000 SUTS was a giant upgrade. More open, more detail, more everything. Personally, if one is using PM Carts, the SUTS are the real upgrade. Wish I had known that haha. |
So if you are already using a "heavy" headshell and if you had to add a heavier counterweight to balance it (which also adds to the effective mass of the tonearm) then what leads you to believe you need an entirely new tonearm to get the most out of the cartridge? IMO, you might achieve a small audible improvement (and anyway, you will tell yourself that the new tonearm is an improvement, because you spent money on it), but you might be better off spending the bucks elsewhere. |
@lewm do not disagree with you. I’m foggy on the tonearm aspect of things I fully admit. |
I have been demo'd the EA 350 in the Company of other Phonostages and especially one Phonostage that has been able to go all the way to final demos at a Phon' Bake Off. , where it was compared to a £10K Phon'. The EA 350 is a very decent Phon', the Search to better it to discover a much improved performance will also require that a rather large budget will need to be readily available. The $10K and upwards range of Phon's that are in the market place might find something to convince a change could bring more. I would sugesst between 10-20K not much differentiation will be found in SS Phon's. |
@pindac I am Not surprised. I am not one who tinkles in the tall grass with the big dogs but after a few inquiries about trade-ins and/or demos I lucked into the 350 at a massive discount. The dealer, who knew little to nothing about the brand was selling out and not carrying it anymore. |